Anton von kerpely



2 Sheets-Shet 1.

A v. KERPELY. APPARATUS FOR CHECKING REGOIL 0F GUNS.

(No Model.)

Patented Feb. 4, 1896.

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(NqModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. v. KERPELY.

V APPARATUS FOR CHECKING RBGOIL OF GUNS. No.- 553,990. Patented Feb. 4, 1896.

ANDREW Bel HAM.PHOTOUMO-WASHINGIONJC.

UNITED STATES n'rnNr OFFICE,

ANTON VON KERPELY, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

APPARATUS FOR CHECKlNG RECON. 0F GUNS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 553,990, dated February 4, 1896.

Application filed July 25, 1895. Serial No. 557,168. (No model.) Patented in Austria March 30, 1895,11'0. to/1,086.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANTON VON KERPELY, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hun gary, residing at Vienna, in the Province of Lower Austria, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Checking the Recoil of Guns, (for which I have obtained a patent in Austria, No. 45/1,086, dated March 30, 1895 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to ordnance, and more particularly to recoil-checks for such namely, appliances for antagonizing or taking up the energy of recoil. This I accomplish by mounting the gun tube or barrel in a bearing in which said barrel can move longitudinally and in appliances whereby the energy of recoil is taken up by converting the endwise movement of the gun-tube under the energy of recoil into rotary movement of a suit able brake, whereby the said energy instead of being transmitted to the carriage by the gun-barrel is transmitted thereto by .the brake, the arrangement being such that the energy transmitted to the carriage will be insufficient to overcome its inertia or resistance to rearward motion.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are sectional elevations of a gun; and Fig. 3, a cross-sectional view of the barrel thereof, illustrating my invention.

In the drawings, B indicates the gun-carriage and A the gun tube or barrel having formed in its periphery or that of its outer jacket near the breech a number of helical grooves a whose pitch increases in a rearward direction. The barrel is mounted in a tubular bearing 0, in which it is adapted to move, said bearing being provided with trunnions 0, and is mounted as usual on said carriage B. At its rear end the bearing 0 has a circular flange that fits a like groove in the inner periphery of a brake sleeve or collar 0, provided with a number of pins or studs corresponding with the number of helical grooves a in the gun-barrel A, said pins projecting into said grooves, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the construction under consideration I have shown the gun-barrel or its jacket as provided with four helical grooves a, and the brake O with an equal number of radial pins a C62 a a equidistant from one another, though a greater or less number of grooves and pins may be provided according to the caliber of the gun.

It is obvious that when the gun-barrel A is moved rearwardly in its bearing 0 the pins a a &c. will engage their respective helical grooves 01, thereby causing the gun-barrel to revolve during such rearward motion, which is, however, not desirable, and is avoided by providing the gun-barrel with a longitudinal feather or spline 0c, fitting alike groove in its bearing 0, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. Inasmuch as the brake O is not rigidly connected with the bearing 0 the rectilinear motion of the barrel A will be converted into rotary motion by the action of the grooves a upon the pins 860., so that the said brake will be revolved.

The power that causes the gun-barrel to move rearwardly is therefore chiefly taken up and consumed in the conversion of the rectilinear motion of said barrel into rotary m0- tion of the brake, as wellas by the inertia of the latter and the frictional resistance between the movable elements.

If the power acting on the gun-barrel were a constant uniform one, the pressure upon the pins would gradually increase during the rearward motion of the gun-barrel in View of the gradually-decreasing pitch of the grooves a; but inasmuch as the whole energy of recoil is exerted suddenly or instantaneously upon the gun-barrel the pressure upon the pins will during the recoil of the barrel be substantially constant and uniform, the same as in a hydraulic brake having decreasing outlet-ports.

It will therefore be readily understood that by a judicious length of the grooves and a j udicious gradual reduction in the pitch thereof, the energy of recoil may be consumed or spent in the conversion of the rectilinear motion of the gun-barrel into rotary motion of the collar O to such an extent that the energy transmitted by the brake to the bearing 0 and by the latter to the gun-carriage will be insufficient to overcome the inertia of the gun.

It will also be seen that the amplitude of rearward motion of the gun can, by a judicious length and pitch of the helical grooves a, be adjusted without increase of the normal weight of the gun. The carriage will therefore remain stationary, whatever the energy of recoil may be. Inasmuch as the distances traveled over by the pins a 0. &c., in their respective helical grooves a is much greater than the extent of rearward motion of the gunbarrel A, the action or effect of the energy of recoil can be properly distributed, and by suitably regulating the pitch of the said grooves the extent of the rearward motion of the gunbarrel under a given energy of recoil is also materially shortened.

The energy exerted upon the pins, and through them on the brake 0, need not be transmitted directly to the carriage B through its bearing 0, as this can be done indirectly, as by the interposition of springs or brakes or buffers.

The gun-barrel can be run out either by hand or automatically by means of a sufficiently powerful spring S, Fig. 3, acting upon a rod R secured in a lug a at the breech end of the gun-barrel B, in which case a considerable proportion of the energy of recoil will be taken up by said spring, as will be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with the gun-carriage and a tubular bearing, provided with trunnions, mounted thereon, of a gun-barrel having endwise motion in said bearing, a revoluand a tubular bearing having trunnions,

mounted thereon, of a gun-barrel having endwise movement in said bearing, a brake revoluble on the bearing, and means for converting the rectilinear motion of the barrel under the energy of recoil into rotary motion of the brake, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with a gun-carriage and a tubular bearing having trunnions, mounted thereon, of a gun-barrel held against rotary motion but having free endwise motion in said bearing and provided with helical peripheral grooves, and a brake revolubly mounted on the said bearing and carrying pins projecting into the aforesaid helical grooves, for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with a gun-carriage and a tubular bearing having trunnions, mounted thereon, of a gun-barrel held against rotary motion but having free endwise motion in said bearing and provided with helical peripheral grooves of gradually-increased pitch in a rearward direction, and a brake revolubly mounted on the said bearing and carrying pins projecting into the aforesaid helical grooves, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ANTON V. KERPELY. Witnesses:

I. I. J UDD, VICTOR KARVVIG. 

